Penn State coach Bill O'Brien showed his confidence in incoming freshman quarterback Christian Hackenberg by letting him compete for the starting job before ever taking a snap as a Nittany Lion. (Daily Record/Sunday News -- File)

York, PA -

Maybe no Penn State recruit has ever been anticipated like Christian Hackenberg.

And that's a lot to handle: The fan base filling that 100,000-seat stadium is expecting a new high school graduate to be a really good college quarterback by the end of August -- or at least close enough to one.

A true freshman quarterback with big expectations . . . at a traditional power program . . . in the age of social media?

Meanwhile, the Hackenbergs seem to be conquering the enormity of it all one critical step at a time.

That's the first good sign.

The second is the bold, smart decision-making of his new head coach.

Consider the past two weeks:

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The Nittany Lions got verbal commitments from three of the top receiver recruits around -- before suddenly losing one of only two scholarship quarterbacks.

A space-clearing move for Hackenberg? For someone who's never even thrown a college practice pass?

Of course, this goes deeper than that.

Start with how O'Brien wants a preferred "style" of quarterback to work in his offense, and a taller, bigger-armed Tyler Ferguson is closer to that than Steven Bench.

Plus, reports say Ferguson has worked harder than most everyone since arriving in January.

He has three years of eligibility and more potential than Bench. So O'Brien made the tough and quick decision this week, telling Bench he would be third string when Hackenberg arrives.

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Just as quickly, Bench decided to transfer.

And, honestly, it was best for all involved.

Things are now clearer for the Lions come August. Only two quarterbacks must share first- and second-team reps. If Ferguson continues to progress, he can take the starting spot until whenever Hackenberg beats him out.

Penn State also frees a precious scholarship during the sanction years, making it easier to bring in a quarterback next year like Michael O'Connor of the IMG Academy in Florida. He's 6-foot-5, 205-pounds and strong-armed.

And Bench? He gets a chance to find another school, maybe closer to his Georgia home, where he fits better and can truly battle for the No. 1 spot. Maybe a place giving more time to progress.

Which brings this all back to Hackenberg.

He's blessed with the raw abilities needed to succeed early: He's 6-41/2, 225 pounds and has the arm strength to make every throw.

But there's more. Since committing to Penn State more than a year ago, he's spent a lot of time recruiting other prospects; he's helped lead them through the uncertainty of the Jerry Sandusky scandal and the NCAA sanctions; he's played on the national all-star game scene.

He's learned. He's matured.

He's studied the Penn State playbook longer than most.

He also will get adjusted to Penn State a couple of weeks early. He plans to start living temporarily with cousins in State College at the beginning of June.

And he was molded for all of this early on. Christian's father was a college quarterback, and both of his grandfathers were coaches.

"He's as ready as a high school prospect can be," said Ryan Snyder, a recruiting analyst with Blue-White Illustrated. "At the same time, it is going to be a lot of pressure on the kid's shoulders. He's already had a lot and handled it well, but, hopefully, people will remember that he's still a (freshman)."

The Hackenbergs say they aren't trying to predict how things play out.

"Worry about what you have control over. I tell him to worry about being a leader for the team and your job and your role," Erick Hackenberg said. "I'm most proud that he's kept a level head."

That's something that won't change, they say, whether he starts the season opener, the Big Ten opener or not at all this fall.

"Of course, (redshirting) would be the best thing for Christian," his father said. "But could Christian be the exception to the rule? Physically, yeah. . . . But to me it's more of a mental aspect. At (quarterback) you can do more damage than good playing a kid too early.

"Having said that, look who's coaching him . . ."

The Hackenbergs have complete trust in O'Brien and his staff.

O'Brien trusts Hackenberg enough to name him one of his top two quarterbacks before he ever enrolls.

And the entire Penn State connection keeps growing stronger.

Part of the reason those three stud high school receivers pledged to Penn State recently is because they know Hackenberg and what he can do.

Not that this is about the freshman being some kind of savior.

It's more about O'Brien knowing how he wants to run a program -- and aggressively trying to gain some control during unsteady circumstances.

It's finding a balance between "win now" and planning for later.

It seems to be the exquisite timing of a coach and a quarterback coming together with so much to prove, so much to gain. Frank Bodani is a sports reporter for the Daily Record/Sunday News. Reach him at 771-2104, fbodani@ydr.com or @YDRPennState on Twitter.

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